The human race most likely extinct… in this corner of the universe. As they cannot slow down due to other damaged systems, the ship is doomed to accelerate and accelerate. Soon the “hysterical gaiety” (22) comes to an abrupt end as the ship encounters an unexpected nebula that damages the ram scoops. There’s time dilation galore and lengthy lectures on SCIENCE…. In a future where Sweden is the superpower, the Leonora Christine, crewed with the best twenty-five men and twenty-five women, sets off to colonize another planet. I have sat on this review for months in a state of indecision debating whether or not to insert my sharpened awl into the novel’s brittle hide so repeatedly tattooed with the words “CLASSIC.” Over the years I’ve reviewed thirteen of his novels and short story collections, most recently in 2013 - There Will Be Time (1972), Brain Wave (1953), and Time and Stars (1964). A younger me would have gobbled up the magical phrases: A Bussard Interstellar Ramjet! Disaster in space! Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity!Īt one point Anderson’s adventure-heavy SF formed my bread and butter. Poul Anderson’s Tau Zero (1970) exemplifies the type of SF I no longer enjoy. Nominated for the 1971 Hugo Award for Best Novel (Anita Siegel’s cover for the 1970 edition)
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